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Bagels

April 22, 2012 - 8:38pm

GSnyde

Bagels

Today I baked some bagels. Again, I used a variation on Stan's Krakowski formula made famous in the Wall Street Journal, except I used 25% Bread Flour and 75% Sir Lancelot, and shaped them without the twist. They were great. My sister loved them. And my wife (who shaped most of them) paid them the ultimate compliment: "Just like the bagels at Russ & Daughters".

I find the texture of these bagels to be about perfect. The crust is hard, but not too hard and the crumb is dense but not too dense.

Though I have not compared these side-by-side with bagels made of 100% high gluten flour, I would estimate that it takes 25% fewer chews to swallow a bite. An entire bagel (with cream cheese and lox) can be masticated in about 7 minutes without unduly tiring the Pterygoids.

was more into landscapes and he featured wheat fields of all kinds in many of his paintings. Wheat fields may be as close as he came to painting bagels but I am sure he would have enjoyed one pf yours as he painted those fields of wheat.

Here is the recipe cut and pasted from the article I mentioned above (I'm sure Stan won't mind since it's already online):

Obwarzanek for One Dozen

"The New York Bakers Jewish Bakery Book," to be published in spring 2011 by Camino Books, includes this recipe for "Krakow Bagels." Used with permission.

Volume

Ingredient

Ounces

Grams

Baker's Percentage

5 cups

High-gluten flour

24

680

100%

1½ cups+1 tbs

Warm water (105°F/40°C)

12.5

354

52%

1 tbs

Diastatic malt, either liquid or dry

0.72

20

3%

2 tsp

Table salt

0.42

11

1.8%

¾ tsp

Instant yeast

0.1

3

0.4%

2 tbs

Poppy seed, sesame seed and/or kosher salt for topping

0.65

18

-

2 tbs

Malt syrup, honey or sugar for boiling

1.5

42

-

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon or the flat beater at lowest (KA 1-2) speed to blend. Add the liquid and continue mixing until the ingredients are evenly hydrated.By hand: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead vigorously for about 15 minutes. By stand mixer: Switch to dough hook and continue kneading at lowest speed for 10-12 minutes. The dough will be ready when it's smooth, silky, and stretches when you pull a pinch away from the mass.

2. On your unfloured work surface, form the dough into a ball, put it into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let ferment until the dough has swelled to about 1½ times its original size, about 60-90 minutes.

3. Turn the dough out onto your work surface, punch down, and form it into a thick brick shape, about 12"/30cm wide by about 3"/8cm square. Let rest, covered, for about 20 minutes to relax the gluten.

4. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough lengthwise to make a strip of dough about 1"/2.5cm thick. Divide the strip lengthwise into four pieces about ¾"/2cm wide, and roll each into a cylinder about 24"/60cm long and the thickness of a pencil. If you can't get enough traction on your work surface, mist it very lightly with water or swab it with a damp paper towel.

5. Fold the cylinder in the middle to form a double strip about 12"/30cm long and twist it into a tight spiral. Carefully seal the ends together to form a slender twisted ring about 4"/10cm in diameter.

8. Bring 3-4 quarts/liters of water to a rolling boil in a wide saucepan or sauté pan and add the sugar, malt or honey. Boil the bagels a few at a time, until they float, 1-2 minutes, and drain them on a rack. Top them with sesame seed, poppy seed or kosher salt, if desired, and arrange them on a sheet of parchment.

9. Bake in the top third of the oven for 12-15 minutes until they are a rich brown. Let cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes.

Again, I used 25% KAF Bread Flour and 75% High-Gluten, and (obviously) I didn't shape in the Krakowski twist.

I gave this recipe a go yesterday. I've not made bagels before but I had a packet of pre mix bread flour on hand (normaly I use bakers flour) that has the Diastatic malt already mixed in. So I gave it a go.

After boiling in golden syrup water they were topped with sesame seeds. They were light and chewy with a texture entiley different to the ones I have bought in the supermarket before.

Shopshelf bagels I have purchased in the past have always been heavy, dense and very over chewy where you have been pulling on your teeth to part your bight from the bagel. It turned me off buying or making bagels for the future. We do not have a local bakery that does bagels and this bagel was a commercial mass produced product. They always tasted stale. A real turn off because I thought if this is what bagels are whats the fuss all about. Know I know!!!!

My wife and I are so converted. Your recipe was just the opposite and rest assured they will be done again. This recipe is now in my cookbook filed under breads.

Thankyou for this..........Pete

Suggestion.......try a bagel with Brie cheese and cranberry sauce. Not as crazy as it sounds.

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